Safety device for water skis and the like



Oct. 19, 1965 J. w. BARRETT SAFETY DEVICE FOR WATER SKIS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 24, 1964 R m m V m J M2561 Barn??? ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,212,113 SAFETY DEVICE FOR WATER SKIS AND THE LIKE James Walter Barrett, 113 Whitney Road, Syracuse, N.Y. Filed Jan. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 340,026 4 Claims. '(Cl. 9310) This invention relates generally to articles such as water skis, surf boards and the like and more particularly to a safety accessory used in combination therewith. The accessory is a buoyant object functioning in the nature of a buoy to mark the position of the article when adrift and also functioning in the nature of a bumper to prevent injury to the operator by contact with the exposed rear edges of the article.

Such articles as water skis are frequently set adrift either accidently or intentionally, and assume a floating position on or near the surface of the water. Being quite shallow and having a substantially planar upper surface, they are difficult to see. Accordingly, they are difficult to locate when being retrieved and in the meantime present a distinct hazard for boats and other craft in the vicinity. These difficulties are present even in broad daylight and under calm water conditions, but are compounded when the water is rought and/or under conditions of twilight or darkness.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a means for facilitating the location of floating articles such as water skis, surf boards and the like.

Another important object is to provide cushioning means adapted to be disposed adjacent the rear edge of such articles when in normal use, and to thereby serve a bumper function to prevent the operator from falling on the exposed edges.

Another object is to provide a relatively simple device adapted to be used with articles such as water skis and surf boards, which device can readily be manufac-' tured as a part of such articles or added to the conventional article actually in use or on sale.

A further object is to provide a device of the character outlined hereinabove which is economical to manufacture and durable in use and one which does not interfere with the normal functioning of the article on which it is used.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following. description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating two water skis constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown in use by an operator depicted in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation illustrating one of the water skis of FIG. 1, shown herein a floating position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the water skis of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, it will be noted that the invention is illustrated in the form of a pair of water skis 1. The invention, however, contemplates other forms, such as in the field of surf boards or the like, and the following description and claims are to be interpreted in this manner. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the water skis are of the conventional type, each including a relatively flat and wide elongated body 3 of shallow dimensions. Means 5 are provided in the central portion of the skis for receiving the feet of an operator, illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 1, and the forward tip of each ski is turned upwardly as at 7. As best shown in FIG. 3, a screw eye 9 or like attachment means is mounted centrally in the rear portion of each ski, and a short line 11 is connected thereto by means of a swivel clamp 13 or the like. A similar swivel clamp 15 may be provided at the opposite end of the line for connection With a ring member 17 which is fused, molded or otherwise attached to a marker 19. The marker 19 must be buoyant and may take the form of a hollow rubber ball or the like approximately two or three inches in diameter which is of a bright color in order to be readily visible. Such colors as orange, red and yellow are, therefore, preferable. Coatings of the luminescent type are particularly effective.

It will be noted that the line 11 is of suflicient length to overlap the side edges of the water ski at either side thereof so that the marker 19 will come to the surface even when the ski is inverted. The screw eye 9 is spaced from the rear edge of the ski a sufficient distance to position the marker in the vicinity of said rear edge when in its normal position of use as shown best in FIGS. 1 and 3. Thus, a person falling from the skis toward the rear edges thereof is protected from direct contact therewith, the marker 19 serving as a protective bumper.

In operation the markers normally assume trailing positions, as shown in FIG. 1, where they present no interference whatsoever to the normal functioning of the skis. When the ski is set adrift in an upright position it tends to assume an attitude of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 where some or all of the ski is submerged, but the buoyant marker 19 attached to the rear thereof is readily visible on the surface of the water.

It will be understood that numerous modification can be made with respect to the dimensions, mounting, material and the other characteristics of the embodiment described hereinabove without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination: a shallow, substantially planar body for-med of buoyant material and adapted for planing purposes on body of water; a buoyant indicator element; and a connector secured between said indicator element and said body to connect said indicator element to the upper surface of said body, said connector comprising a flexible line secured at one end to said indicator element and at the other end to a central point in the rearward portion of said upper surface, said central point being spaced inwardly from the rear edge of said body by a distance somewhat greater than the distance from said central point to either side edge of said body, and said line being of sufficient length to position said buoyant element at a point in the vicinity of said rear edge when said line is drawn rearwardly, and being somewhat longer than the distance measured between said central point and either side edge of said body whereby when said planar body is inverted in the water said indicator element can extend over either side edge and upwardly to float on the water and indicate the location of said planar body.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said buoyant element is a vividly colored, hollow, deformable ball.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein at least one swivel connection is provided in said line.

4. In combination, :a water ski of substantially flat and elongated configuration having means disposed centrally along the length thereof for attachment to the operators foot, a screw eye means mounted on the upper surface of said ski and equally spaced from the side edges thereof, said screw eye means being spaced from the rear edge of said ski by a distance somewhat greater than its spacing from the side edges thereof, a

3 4 ball member adapted to serve as a marker, said ball mem- References Cited by the Examiner her being on the order of two and one-half inches in UNITED STATES PATENTS diameter and being buoyant and of a vivid color, and a flexible line having at least one swivel connection pro- 736,692 5/03 co'ndl'en vided therein, said line being of greater length than the 5 814,517 3/06 3,031,697 5/62 Kleln 9-31O dlstance between said screw eye means and sald slde 1 1 2/64 G nd rso 9 310 d 0 u e n e ges, b t belnc shorter than the distance between sar 3,182,341 5/65 Rieme 9 310 screw eye means and said rear edge, said line further being provided with a clip member at one end thereof for attachment to said screw eye means, the other end 10 FERGUS MIDDLETON Prlmary Exammer of said line being secured to said ball member. MILTON B'UCHLER, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: A SHALLOW, SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR BODY FORMED OF BUOYANT MATERIAL AND ADAPTED FOR PLANING PURPOSES ON BODY BY WATER; A BUOYANT INDICATOR ELEMENT; AND A CONNECTOR SECURED BETWEEN SAID INDICATOR ELEMENT AND SAID BODY TO CONNECT SAID INDICATOR ELEMENT TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BODY, SAID CONNECTOR COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE LINE SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID INDICATOR ELEMENT AND AT THE OTHER END TO A CENTRAL POINT IN THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID UPPER SURFACE, SAID CENTRAL POINT BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE REAR EDGE OF SAID BODY BY A DISTANCE SOMEWHAT GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE FROM SAID CENTRAL POINT TO EITHER SIDE EDGE OF SAID BODY, AND SAID LINE BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH OF POSITION SAID BUOYANT ELEMENT AT A POINT IN THE VICINITY OF SAID REAR EDGE WHEN SAID LINE IS DRAWN REARWARDLY, AND BEING SOMEWHAT LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE MEASURED BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL POINT AND EITHER SIDE EDGE OF SAID BODY WHEREBY WHEN SAID PLANAR BODY IS INVERTED IN THE WATER SAID INDICATOR ELEMENT CAN EXTEND OVER EITHER SIDE EDGE AND UPWARDLY TO FLOAT ON THE WATER AND INDICATE THE LOCATION OF SAID PLANAR BODY. 